The Pittsburgh Steelers are working to complete a contract extension for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger before the NFL draft begins Thursday night, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Tuesday.

Roethlisberger, who was drafted by the Steelers in 2004, is heading into the final season of the four-year, $87.6 million extension he signed in 2015.

The two sides have been talking since the end of the 2018 season and are getting closer to having a new deal in place, a source told ESPN.

Roethlisberger, who turned 37 on March 2, has two Super Bowl victories and ranks sixth in career passing yards (56,194) and seventh in touchdowns (363). He led the NFL in passing yards in 2018 with 5,129. The Steelers never have had a losing season with him at quarterback, and he is among the franchise leaders in career games played with 216.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson became the highest-paid player in the NFL when he signed a four-year, $140 million contract extension last week.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler contributed to this report.

OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Golden State Warriors understand that they have to win one more game over the LA Clippers to advance to the Western Conference semifinals, but the group also knows that a showdown with the Houston Rockets awaits if and when they do.

"They're a great team," Warriors swingman Klay Thompson said after Tuesday's practice. "They got two Hall of Fame guards in the backcourt [in James Harden and Chris Paul], and everyone else has carved out a nice role. We've had a ton of history with them in the last five years of the playoffs. I know they're just itching to get another shot at us, and that's when, when two teams meet like that, when the stakes are that high, it makes for the best basketball in the world."

Thompson's comments come on the heels of Sunday's postgame interview with ESPN's Lisa Salters, in which he noted that the Warriors were hoping to close out their series against the Clippers as soon as possible -- after blowing a 31-point second-half lead in Game 2 -- because the Warriors knew the Rockets were on the verge of sweeping the Utah Jazz and getting extra rest. After the Jazz extended their series with a Game 4 win on Monday, both the Rockets and Warriors have a chance to close out their series on Wednesday in Game 5s.

"It's really not hard at all," Warriors guard Stephen Curry said of focusing on the Clippers, not the impending Rockets series. "At the end of the day, we know what Houston's about. We know what Utah's about and their styles of play. At this point, there isn't anything really different jumping off the TV, but coming to practice, we lock in and focus and get ready for the game [Wednesday], hopefully take care of business. It's kind of ingrained in our routines and our mindsets as we've been through so many different experiences in the playoffs. You know how to pace yourself and stay locked in on the task at hand while still having an awareness of what's going on throughout the league."

Curry said he has been keeping up with all the playoff games just like he normally would.

"You watch every game," Curry said. "You understand what's going on. You may not be as in tune, like focused on the details, but I like watching basketball in general, so it doesn't matter really who's on. Just understanding we got to focus on getting four wins now against the Clippers and go from there, but as a fan of basketball, I turn on every game."

The good news for the Warriors is that forward Draymond Green will play in Game 5 after undergoing an MRI on his right wrist. Green was seen leaving Staples Center in a wrist brace after Game 4, but Kerr didn't seem concerned that the injury will have any impact on the defensive star moving forward.

"He's fine," Kerr said. "He had an MRI, and it was clear, and he practiced fully today, so he's fine."

As for injured center DeMarcus Cousins, he was back at the Warriors' facility with his teammates on Tuesday as he continues the rehab process for a torn left quad. Cousins suffered the injury during Game 2 of the series, and Kerr noted that it is "highly unlikely" he returns before the season ends.

"We'll see what happens in a few weeks," Kerr said. "Once we have a better sense of healing and his ability to maybe get on the court, maybe, who knows? But at this point, conservatively, I would say it's highly unlikely [he returns]."

Jason Kidd interviewed for the Los Angeles Lakers' head-coaching vacancy Monday, multiple sources told ESPN.

Kidd becomes the third candidate to meet with the Lakers, following Philadelphia 76ers assistant coach Monty Williams and former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue, who both interviewed last week. Miami Heat assistant coach Juwan Howard is also scheduled to interview for the job, sources told ESPN, and Williams and Lue are expected to have follow-up sessions.

Kidd's interview was with general manager Rob Pelinka and team executive Kurt Rambis and was conducted at the team's practice facility in El Segundo, California. The interview with the Hall of Fame point guard lasted for several hours, sources told ESPN.

The 46-year-old Kidd formerly coached the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks. He was fired by Milwaukee during the 2017-18 season. In Kidd's 4½ seasons with the Bucks and Nets, his teams compiled a 183-190 record (.491).

Kidd has previous ties to Lakers star LeBron James, having been an Olympic teammate of his in 2008, when Team USA won the gold in Beijing. Kidd's Dallas Mavericks also defeated James and the Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.

The woman accusing Luke Walton of a 2014 sexual assault said Tuesday that she was terrified the NBA coach was going to rape her and that the reason it took her so long to publicize the allegations was because she was scared.

Kelli Tennant -- a former host on Spectrum SportsNet LA, the Lakers' regional sports network -- spoke with media during a news conference Tuesday in Los Angeles, after a civil lawsuit alleging that Walton sexually assaulted her was accepted by the Los Angeles County Superior Court.

Tennant alleges that Walton, then an assistant with the Golden State Warriors who was in Los Angeles on a road trip, sexually assaulted her in a Santa Monica, California, hotel room, which her attorney says happened in 2014.

"This type of behavior cannot be condoned and no woman should ever be made to feel like a victim," Tennant said Tuesday.

Tennant had a working relationship with Walton stemming from his time as a guest analyst on Spectrum. In the lawsuit, she alleges she met with him at the Casa Del Mar Hotel to drop off a copy of her book, "a guide for student-athletes making the transition into a world after sports," for which he wrote the foreword.

Tennant alleges that Walton invited her up to his room, where he allegedly pinned her to the bed and forcibly kissed and groped her.

"Out of nowhere, he got on top of me and pinned me down to the bed and held my arms down. With all his weight," she said of Walton, who was named head coach of the Sacramento Kings earlier this month. "He kissed my neck, and my face and my chest. And as I kept asking him to please stop and to get off, he laughed at me.

"I thought he was going to rape me. I was finally able to get up after what felt like forever. And I immediately jumped up to leave the room and he came around and grabbed me from behind and again held my arms down so I could not move. And started kissing my neck again. I kept begging him to please let go and to please stop. And he continued to laugh in my ear. He finally let me go, and I got out of the room."

Tennant said she did not go the police or talk with officials at Spectrum after the alleged incident because she was only 25 at the time and was scared.

"When someone assaults you and you think you're going to be raped, coming forward is a scary thing," she said. "And I have spent years now dealing with this, trying to forget about it, hoping that I could push it to the side and bury it and hoping that time would heal. And that was not the case. And I feel like over this time I was able to muster up the courage and have enough conversations with [my attorney Garo Mardirossian] where I felt comfortable to talk about this."

In the lawsuit, Tennant also alleged that Walton "forced an aggressive hug" and made a lewd remark about her outfit at a charity event the two attended in May 2017.

News of the lawsuit first surfaced Monday night in a story by TMZ that later was confirmed by ESPN.

Walton, 39, was hired to be the Lakers' head coach in 2016, after his run as a Golden State assistant. Walton and the Lakers mutually parted ways on April 12, and he was then hired by the Kings shortly after.

Walton's attorney, Mark Baute, called the allegations "baseless.''

"The accuser is an opportunist, not a victim, and her claim is not credible,'' Baute said in a statement earlier Tuesday. "We intend to prove this in a courtroom.''

Mardirossian initially said during Tuesday's news conference that they were not interested in filing a criminal complaint.

"If you go to the police a few years later it's very difficult to put together a case where you have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that standard of care is much higher," he said. "So police departments are not very likely to get involved in a case this old at this time."

But pressed on the matter, Mardirossian later said they're not "closing the door on (going to the police) right now."

"Maybe we'll be contacted by a police department that watches or listens or hears about this and wants to investigate this," he said. "We know the NBA is going to investigate this. So we'll see where this takes us."

NBA spokesman Mike Bass had said earlier Tuesday that the league is speaking with the Kings and is "in the process of gathering more information." The Kings also have said they are gathering additional information.

The Lakers said they were never told of the allegations when Walton was their coach and had no additional comment because he now works for another team.

The Warriors said they were "aware of the alleged incident" and gathering additional information. Warriors guard Stephen Curry didn't offer much more when asked about his former coach Tuesday.

"I know the team had a comment on it," Curry said. "That's pretty much all we can say right now. But in terms of Luke, I've known him for a long time so hopefully everything works out."

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OAKLAND, Calif. -- The Texas Rangers placed left-hander Drew Smyly on the 10-day injured list Tuesday because of nerve tightness in his pitching arm, pausing his return from elbow surgery that caused him to miss the past two seasons.

Smyly, who turns 30 in June, is 0-2 with a 7.80 ERA in four starts this season. He had surgery on July 6, 2017.

Manager Chris Woodward said he expects Smyly to miss one or two starts. The roster move is retroactive to Saturday; Smyly had been scheduled to pitch against the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.

Smyly becomes the second Texas pitcher who had Tommy John surgery to miss time already this season. Right-hander Edinson Volquez strained his right elbow and was put on the injured list on April 5.

Right-hander Wei-Chieh Huang was recalled from Double-A Frisco.

CHICAGO -- Suspended Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell will play seven games at Triple-A Iowa beginning Wednesday before being eligible to rejoin the big league club on May 3.

Russell, 25, was suspended 40 games in September for violating the league's domestic abuse policy after details emerged about his former marriage.

Under league rules, Russell is allowed to play up to seven games in the minors before his suspension is complete. He has been working out at the Cubs' spring complex in Mesa, Arizona, this month after participating in spring training with the club.

"I know he's eager and anxious to get out there," manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday. "My conversations with him have been about baseball and how he's feeling."

The Cubs have monitored Russell's mandated counseling, calling his return to the Cubs a "conditional second chance."

Maddon was asked if the Cubs are prepping Russell for what could be a less than positive response from some fans when he returns.

"Let's get him playing, and then after that we'll make our call," Maddon said. "I'm certain we'll discuss those kinds of things prior to him getting here."

It's not clear what role Russell has with the team right now. National League MVP runner-up Javier Baez has thrived at shortstop, and the Cubs are well off at second base with Ben Zobrist, Daniel Descalso and David Bote sharing playing time.

There's still a chance that Russell could be traded, just as Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roberto Osuna was last season with days left on his suspension for the same violation.

The Cubs did make one move on Tuesday, as Bote was placed on paternity leave, and the team recalled lefty reliever Randy Rosario. Bote is expected back on Wednesday.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco left in the fourth inning of Tuesday night's 3-1 loss to the Miami Marlins with what the team said was left knee discomfort.

Manager Terry Francona said Carrasco will have a precautionary MRI on the knee.

Carrasco, 32, suffered the injury when he landed hard scrambling to catch Carlos Santana's errant throw while trying to cover first base. Carrasco finished the inning, but Francona, not wanting to take any chances, pulled him for reliever Neil Ramirez to start the fifth.

Carrasco pitched four shutout innings and struck out four before being forced to leave. He is 2-2 with a 6.00 ERA this season.

It's the latest injury for Carrasco, who has missed significant time in previous seasons with assorted injuries, many of them unlucky.

His absence will put further stress on Cleveland's rotation, which is already missing Mike Clevinger because of a back strain.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball is reviewing Bryce Harper's rant at an umpire, trying to determine whether the Philadelphia Phillies star should be disciplined.

There was no decision Tuesday, a day after Harper went wild during a game against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Harper was ejected for the 12th time in his eight-season career as he barked from the dugout four batters after being called out on strikes by Mark Carlson.

Phillies manager Gabe Kapler walked toward the plate to argue, then Harper bolted from the bench. He repeatedly yelled and pointed at Carlson from close range. While trying to hold back Harper, Kapler bumped into the umpire.

Kapler spoke to MLB executive Joe Torre and the umpires before Tuesday night's game against the Mets.

"I felt nothing," Kapler said. "Doesn't mean there wasn't contact."

Philadelphia's Jake Arrieta was the losing pitcher Monday night and later called out Harper, saying the high-priced All-Star slugger needs to keep himself on the field, no matter what.

Harper is in the first season of a 13-year, $330 million contract.

"He's fiery, he's competitive, he's aggressive and he's a strong figure," Kapler said. "I think he understands what he needs to do."

The AW contributor shares some of his favourite athletics books

I recently counted the athletics book on my shelves and was surprised to find about 50. Some were published as far back as the 1940s, others in the past year or two. For this article I have selected some of my favourites – a tall order indeed.

Eric Liddell, who won gold in the 1924 Olympics after switching from the 100m to the 400m because his Christian conscience did not allow him to run the shorter event on a Sunday, is the most written about athlete. I have 10 books on the shelves about him.

The best and most recent is For the Glory: The Life of Eric Liddell by Duncan Hamilton (Doubleday, 2016. ISBN: 9780857522597) which covers his athletics well but also the latter part of his life in a Japanese prison camp. The 1924 Olympic 100m title was won by Harold Abrahams, whose story is told in Running with Fire: The True Story of Chariots of Fire Hero Harold Abrahams by Mark Ryan.

Emil Zátopek was arguably the greatest distance runner of all time. Remarkably two books were published about him in 2016.

For me the better one was Today We Die a Little: The Rise and Fall of Emil Zátopek, Olympic Legend by Richard Askwith (Yellow Jersey, 2016. ISBN: 9780224100342). The book presents Zátopek as much more than just the greatest distance runner ever. It gets inside the man who achieved everything “with a grace and generosity of spirit that transcended sport”.

The men’s 100m is often seen as a highlight of the athletics programme. In 100 Metre Men by Neil Duncanson (André Deutsch/Carlton, 2016. IBSN : 9780233005027) the author writes about every winner of the Olympic race from 1904 onwards. It is gripping reading. The range is fascinating. “These fast men are an extraordinary blend of success and disaster, as well as glory and tragedy; ranging from amazing wealth to grinding poverty, superstar adulation and national hero status to bankruptcy, shame, prison, even suicide.”

My shelves have three Usain Bolt books but the one I like best is The Bolt Supremacy: Inside Jamaica’s Sprint Factory by Richard Moore (Yellow Jersey, 2015. ISBN 9780224092302). Moore sets out to investigate how Jamaica has managed to dominate sprinting in recent years and finds some interesting answers.

Modern British athletes Mo Farah, Jo Pavey, Jess Ennis-Hill and Greg Rutherford have all published autobiographies. As I have to choose one, I will go for Rutherford’s – Unexpected (London Simon and Schuster, 2016. ISBN: 9781471162527).

Rutherford starts the book with a clear statement: “I hate sports autobiographies. Most bore me to death. So before I started writing this, I had a clear condition in my mind: I had to be brutally honest. I didn’t want this to be a conventional, sugar-coated, bland tale of a developing sportsman.” The book is certainly not PC and bland.

I shouldn’t really mention my own contribution – Kriss (Marshall Pickering (Harper Collins), 1996. ISBN: 0551030291) – but I will!

For further assessment of a number of the athletics books I have read, see veritesport.org